Closure-cap anchor



Dec. r 1,518,467

I J. D. VAN FELT CLOSURE CAP ANCHOR Filed April 26, 1923 W'ITNESSES IN VENTOR rivals-9D 7w%r v I BY ATTQRNE YS Patented tiles. 9, 1924.

TATES JAlVfES D. VAN FELT, OF SOUTH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY.

CLOSURE-CAP ANCHOR.

Application filed April 26, 1923.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs D. VAN PELT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of South Amboy, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented new and improved Closure-bap Anchors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an anchoring device for attaching a closure cap to the filling opening of a tank or receptacle to prevent accidental loss of the same. The invention contemplates more particularly a loss preventing device for the closure cap of the fuel tank of an automobile.

The outstanding object of the present invention is to provide an anchoring device for the closure cap which is provided with means for readily associating the anchor ing device with the cap without the necessity of boring. an opening in the cap or solderin the anchor chain thereto or requiring in any other manner alteration to said cap.

As a further object the invention aims to provide a closure cap anchoring device which is extremely simple in its construction, inexpensive to manufacture and pro duce, readily appliable to or removable from the standard forms of closure caps, and which is thoroughly reliable and highly efficient in its purpose.

lVith the above recited and other objects in View, the invention resides in the novel construction set forth in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, it being understood that the right is reserved to embodiments other than those actually illustrated herein to the full extent indicated by the general meaning of the terms in which the claims are expressed.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the rear end of an automobile illustrating a closure cap anchored to the fuel tank by an anchoring device constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a closure cap with the anchoring device as sociated therewith.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the cap with the attaching means for the anchoring device in place.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, 10 designates a fuel tank hav- Serial No. 634,889.

ing an exteriorly threaded filling nozzle 11 over which a closure cap 12 of standard construction is threaded to close the filling nozzle. The closure cap 12 is formed with internal threads 13 which terminate in spaced relation to the head or top 1 1 of the cap, thus producing in effect an annular groove 15 adjacent the head or top 14. The closure cap anchor consists of a flexible element 16 such as a chain, cable or the like, which is formed at one end with a spring anchor member 17 preferably constructed of a single length of wire bent medially upon itself to provide an eye 18 which receives one terminal of the chain or flexible element 16 from the eye 18. The member 17 is provided with crossed legs 19 having terminal hooks 20 which under the inherent resiliency of the material from which the member 17 is formed tends to effect a relative separation of the hooked terminals 20 to engage within the opening formed by the filling nozzle 11. The legs 19 and terminals 20 may be forced toward each other in overlapping relation to reduce the width of the anchoring member 17 to facilitate its insertion within the opening defined by the filling nozzle 11. The means for attaching or associating the opposite extremity of the flexible element or chain 16 with the closure cap 12 consists of a split expansion ring 21 which is formed at one end into an eye 22 for receiving the end link or terminal of the chain or flexible element 16. To apply the split expansible ring 21 to the closure cap, the same is contracted sufficiently to be inserted through the interiorly threaded portion 13 of the cap until the ring reaches the groove 15, at which point it will expand radially into said groove and lock in place against casual or accidental displacement. The anchoring member is thus attached to the closure cap Without the necessity of altering the same by boring an opening therein or soldering the terminal of the chain or flexible element 16 thereto. When thus associated with the cap, the anchoring member 17 is compressed and inserted in the opening defined by the filling nozzle 11 and thence being allowed to expand. This securely anchors the cap to the tank or receptacle 10, thus obviating any possibility of the driver of the vehicle forgetting the cap or otherwise losing the same at a filling station. It is of course understood that caps in which the threads extend entirely to the endor top of the cap, the split expansionfl gclosure cap having an internally threaded ring 21 may be sprung into engagement with one of the threads without in any Way departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a device for connecting a closure cap with a filling nozzle, comprising a flexible elementhaving an anchoring means at one end engageable Within the filling nozzle, and a radially expansible split resilient ring having a radially inward offset eye at one end with which the opposite end of the flexible element is connected, Which split ring is de signed for frictional engagement Within the closure cap.

2. The combination with a container hav- 7 ing an exteriorly threaded filling nozzle a portion defining a groove between the inner end of the threaded portion and the end of the cap, and a device for anchoring said cap to the tank comprising a flexible element having an expansilole anchoring member at one end adapted to engage Within the openin defined by the filling nozzle, of means for detachably connecting the opposite end of the flexible element to the closure cap, comprising a split expansible ring adapted for engagement Within the groove, and aradially inward oliset eye at one end of the split ring With which the opposite end of the flexible element is engaged whereby the flexible element is spaced from the inner periphery of the nozzle.

JAMES l). VAN ,PELT. 

